Graphic designer and digital creative, Karee Luna, is launching her first Undadewave event, What the NFT?, a panel discussion designed to educate Bermuda on non-fungible tokens.

Ms Luna was working on bringing international artists to Bermuda next year for Undadewave, a festival of live events, when she saw an opportunity to educate the community while promoting the series.

Her creative agency, Hai Tyde, assists artists and companies in bringing an NFT component to their product and project launches.

“Those who work in or are interested in tech, know NFTs have been in circulation since as early as 2014 but really took off during Covid-19,” Ms Luna said.

“However, to the majority, these digital assets are still a foreign concept. In building Undadewave, it became clear that we couldn’t move forward without helping our people understand what it’s all about.”

The free event will be split into two sessions: What the NFT? Youth, from 2pm to 4.30pm, for secondary and Bermuda College students, an outreach programme funded by Argus; and What the NFT?, from 5pm to 7.30pm, for the wider community.

Some of the topics covered will include the rapid growth of NFTs in the past three years, the benefit to collectors, the impact on the international art world, gaming, and ticketing systems, and their potential impact on Bermuda’s economic future.

Ms Luna hopes the information shared during the panel will bring the community into the global conversation on NFTs and encourage people to use their new-found knowledge to elevate their passions and realise their purpose.

She said guests could expect to gain a greater understanding of the NFT space and connect with local lawyers, curators, artists, and collectors who work with and are intrigued by NFTs and their place within the building of Web3. She also hopes it will open the eyes of young professionals to alternative streams of income.

David Simons, managing director of the Argus Centre of Excellence, a panel sponsor, said: “The true impact of NFTs will unfold gradually over the next few years, but with the growing popularity of disruptive technologies, such as blockchain and fintech, we are anticipating changes to the future of financial systems.”

To receive their free tickets, students should go to undadewave.com and sign up for the What The NFT? Youth tickets.

Event attendees will receive a free PDF breaking down the main topics as well as step-by-step instructions on how to create a wallet, allowing them to receive a free NFT.

Students unable to attend will be given access to a livestream of the event as well as a free instructional PDF.

Panellists will be Ms Luna, Mr Simons, Sophia Greaves, Stephanie Smellie, Christian Ansaldi, Jerome Wilson, Marcus Wade, Kerem Kolcuoglu, Ashton Easton, Maya Palacio, Stephen Bond, and Karim Creary.

The panel will take place on Thursday at the Bermuda Society of Arts at City Hall in Hamilton, and is sponsored by The Argus Group, TeleBermuda International, and Media Maya.

Visit undadewave.com for more information.